62 Interesting Facts About El Salvador

El Salvador, officially the Republic of El Salvador, is a small Central American nation. It has a total area of 21,041 square km. San Salvador is its capital and largest city. Spanish is its official language. By area it is the smallest of all the Central American countries while Nicaragua is the largest of all. United States dollar is its official currency. The colón was the currency of El Salvador between 1892 and 2001, until it was replaced by the U.S. Dollar. It is bordered by Guatemala and Honduras.

El Salvador is a Central American country with a rich culture, long history and plenty of things to learn. With these 62 interesting facts about El Salvador,let’s explore more about its history, economy, people, tourism, volcanoes, culture and more…

Facts about El Salvador’s independence, history, and earthquakes

1. El Salvador became independent from Spain on September 15, 1821.

2. The territory was once occupied by Olmecs, followed by the Mayans. At the end of Mayan rule, the Toltec Empire took control of the country. Later on, in the 11th century, the land was dominated by Pipil people and at last, Spanish people conquered the region. After gaining control of the country, Spanish people forced the locals to become slaves.

3. El Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America.

20. The only commercially navigable — and the most important river — in El Salvador is the river “Rio Lempa.” Its river basin hosts the capital city of the country – San Salvador.

21. El Salvador’s Barra de Santiago is a beautiful beach where you can find endangered species like the marine turtle and red macaw.

22. El Salvador is the only Latin American country that has troops in Iraq.

23. Interestingly, there is a beach in the country called Water, a city called Society, a river called Big River, along withsome islands called islands.

24. The country is also among the list of countries with the highest murder rate.

25. Did you know that El Salvador is almost 20 times deadlier than the US and 90 times deadlier than the UK? A record-breaking 4,246 homicides were recorder in El Salvador during the first eight months of 2015.

26. El Salvador is also known for the production of Anil, the plant producing the prized blue dye known as indigo. The extraction of the dye is done by pressing the plant with bare feet. (Please note that Anil is the Spanish word for indigo)

27. The country suffers from high rates of crime, poverty, and inequality.